I found this blog post after reading a post by a girl I follow. She re-posted ‘Date a Girl Who Writes’ ( http://kuuleilani.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/date-a-girl-who-writes/ ) Soon after, I found this blog post, Date a Girl who Travels ( http://www.solitarywanderer.com/2012/02/date-a-girl-who-travels/ ) and just added some of my own pictures 🙂

I fell in love with the way it is written and how true it is. Have a read yourself.

“Date a girl who travels. Date a girl who would rather save up for out of town trips or day trips than buy new shoes or clothes. She may not look like a fashion plate, but behind that tanned and freckled face from all the days out in the sun, lies a mind than can take you places and an open heart that will take your for what you are, not for what you can be.

Date a girl who travels. You’ll recognize her by the backpack she always carries. She won’t be carrying a dainty handbag, where will she put her travel journal, her pens and the LED flashlight that’s always attached to her bag’s zipper? In a small purse, how can she bring the small coil of travel string, the wet tissues, the box of cracker, and the bottle of water she’s always ready with, just in case something happens and she can’t go home yet.

Yes, a girl who travels knows that anytime, anything can happen and she just has to be prepared with it. Nothing takes her by surprise, she takes everything with equanimity, knowing that such things are always a part of life. She’s reliable and dependable, traits that she’s learned while on the road.

You’ll also recognize a girl who travels by the fact that she’s always amazed at the world around her, no matter if she’s in her hometown or in a place that’s totally new. She sees beauty all around her, not just the ones featured in travel guides or shown in postcards. A girl who travels has developed a deeper appreciation for life. She won’t judge you, or pressure you to do things you don’t want to do. She knows too much about the importance of identity and self-efficacy, and she will appreciate all the more if you won’t pretend to be who you’re not.

You can make mistakes with a girl who travels, and you can also be as idiosyncratic as you can be. Trust me, she has seen so much worse in her travels, and knows firsthand the vagaries of human nature.

Date a girl who travels, because when you’re with her, you’ll realize that even though she’s napped at a temple in Angkor Wat, went boating down the Mekong Delta, ran by the streets of Saigon, or went skinny-dipping in the caves in the Philippines, she still retains that humility that is the mark of a real traveler. She knows she’s been to a lot of places, but she’s humbled by the fact that the world is still a big places and she’s only seen a small part of it. Seeing this in her can make you feel all right with yourself too; there’s no need for you to do more, to be more. What you are is enough.

When you meet a girl who travels, ask her where she’s been and what she’s going to do next. She will appreciate your interest, and if you’re lucky, she may even invite you to join her. When she does, do. Nothing bonds people better than traveling. On your trip, you will both see each other’s best and worst characteristics, and you can then decide whether she’s worth fighting for.

It’s easy enough to date a girl who travels. She won’t want expensive gifts, you can buy her (or both of you) cheap ticket to Thailand for the weekend, and she’ll be more than happy to take you to the longest wooden bridge in the country. You don’t even have to go overseas, you can take her out on day trips, caving or hiking, or treat her to a full body massage.

You can also buy her the little things that she keeps forgetting to buy for herself; that carbine that will attach her backpack to her seat so that she will feel easier about sleeping on her bus trip, or a backpack cover, a small alarm clock, a money belt, or many another sarong that will replace the one she lost in China.

She won’t mind if you get lost on your way to a date. She knows that often times, the journey is more important than the destination. She will help you see the lighter side of things. She’ll walk along with you, not behind you, pointing out the interesting bits of things you’ll see on the way. Before long, you’ll realize that yes, the journey has been more memorable than the destination that you’ve planned to take her to.

Is a girl who travels worth it? Yes, she is. So when you find her, keep her. Don’t lose her with your insecurities and doubts. Because when she says she loves you, she really does. After all, she’s seen so many things, met so many people, and if she has chosen you, better grab that opportunity and thank the gods that you were lucky enough she’s chosen you and not that bloke she met while watching the sunrise in Angkor Wat, or while whitewater rafting in the Padas Gorge in Sabah.

If she says she loves you, she must have seen something in you, something that can always call her back from her travels, something that can anchor her to the world in the way that she wants to after weeks and months of being on the road.

Date a girl who travels. Make her feel safe, warm and secure. Make her believe that no matter where she goes, and however long she’s gone, you’ll always be there for her, the one that she can call home.

Find a girl who travels. Date her, love her. and marry her, and your world will never be the same again.”

Lots of us, we want to travel right? We are all in the same boat. To us, it looks like just a dream that will never happen. A thought that will just stay a thought. I want to change that, don’t you? Here are some tips from Thought Catalog. Enjoy 😉

Do you dream of traveling the world? Of quitting your life and setting off on a grand trip of a lifetime? Of course you do. Most everyone does.

Many people sit at their desk jobs day in and day out, just dreaming of dropping everything and flying off to some far-flung corner of the world. They sit and stare out of the window or ignore the customers as they fling their groceries through the bar code scanner, dreaming of a hammock on a tropical beach or the adventure of a life on the road.

Yet for the vast majority of people, that is where it will end.

They will go back to their dreary little jobs, their own little bubble of existence and they will dismiss those dreams as just that. Dreams. They will dig themselves deeper and deeper into that comfort zone until one day they will find themselves so mired in it that it seems impossible to claw their way back out again.

But it really doesn’t have to be this way! Take it from me, I know, I’ve done it! I’ve quit work, bought a plane ticket and disappeared around the world on a whim for long stretches of time! And you can, too!

Ever heard of a bucket list? That little checklist of things that most people want to do before they kick the proverbial bucket? Well, travel is right up there on most people’s top 10 — top 3, even.

I mean seriously, what’s the alternative here, people? Stay in your comfort zone because it’s easier? Stay at home, keep that boring job, and clock in and out every single day in that endless cycle of groundhog day banality? You will work for another 20, 30, 40 years or more, reach retirement age and then get forced to carry on working anyway! And just before you finally drop dead from sheer exhaustion, your last words on this earth will be “I wish I had.”

So do!

There is a wonderful quote by Mark Twain that I absolutely love and have always tried to live by.

20 years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Don’t get me wrong: I know it takes guts to follow your dreams. Believe me, I’ve been there and done that. It takes guts to pull yourself out of your comfort zone and do something completely different. That’s totally natural. It’s normal to be afraid when faced with something daunting. That will never really go away.

The big trick is to not let those feelings stop you from following your dreams. Because when you do, when you overcome them and take that first step you will feel like you have been given wings. The world is a vast, wonderful and amazing place, and it is yours for the taking. Anything is possible and you will have reminded yourself that you are not some mindless drone following the same path as everyone around you, you are capable of much, much more than that.

So when you take that first step, how do you turn those dreams into a reality? Here’s the good part, it is surprisingly easy.

1. Start saving.

You may have had the dream of backpacking or traveling the world for some time, but what have you done to make it a reality? Start saving NOW. Backpacking costs money, and you will need a big pot of it to go on an extended round the world trip or gap year (or more).

It isn’t all that difficult to do, just budget well. Do you really need that expensive sandwich every day at lunch, or that cup of coffee from the fancy coffee shop every morning? Just remember that cash you just handed over for your big sandwich will have paid for a beach hut in Thailand. You don’t have to be a total recluse either, just minimize those big nights out, cut back on the DVD buying marathons and the luxuries, just save!

Make a monthly budget, stick to it, and give yourself a target to reach in six months’ time. It is surprising how much having a goal can galvanize you.

2. Get a rough plan.

While you are saving, keep the inspiration alive by planning for your big trip. Get on the internet and read about the amazing travels and adventures other people are having, find people that really inspire you. Grab every and any brochure or travel literature on places you think you may want to see or things you may want to do. Join a few travel forums and talk to like-minded people.

As you do this, you should start formulating a rough plan of where you want to go. Get a big map and pin it on your wall, then stick a load of pins in the places you must visit on your gap year or backpacking adventure. It doesn’t matter about the practicalities at this point, just get excited about the places that inspire you.

3. Narrow the plan down.

Once you have all of that, your excitement levels should be brimming over. Your round the world adventure is looking more and more like a possibility isn’t it? Told you it would! You have a long list of places that inspire you, a rough plan, and by now you should have a fair sized pot of savings, too.

Now is the time to start getting serious about that plan. Narrow down the rough route you have into something more practical.

Ask yourself where you want to start and where you want to finish. Do you want to visit just one country, one region or travel the world? Are there any specific dates you need to be in certain countries by to take in certain festivals? What is a reasonable and realistic route to be able to do all this?

A little bit more specific research is required here. Have a look at suggested route itineraries adventure travel companies have on their books and copy them. Go and speak to the experts, travel agents who specialize in backpacking or other backpackers on travel websites and forums who will be able to advise you on how to whittle your rough plan into something practical and reasonable.

This is the point where your dreams start to coalesce into something more tangible. This is the point where your fantasies about traveling the world are about to become a reality.

4. Start sorting out the practicalities.

By now, the light at the end of the tunnel is more than in sight, you can almost feel the soft sea air on your face already, smell the aromatic peanut and lemongrass on the air from Thai street vendors, taste that beer on that sun kissed beach in Mexico. In short — your dreams are becoming reality.

So now is the time to sort out the necessary practicalities so you are ready for when your flying out date finally arrives.

Get your budget sorted — you will have saved up most of what you need already and will hopefully continue to do so as you start your serious planning, but now is the time to find out how much your daily budget should be in the places you are wanting to visit and how long you want to stay in them for and see if your savings stack up. Research what vaccinations you will need and get them sorted now (the earlier the better), and see if you will need to apply for any visas beforehand.

5. Take the first step to the rest of your life.

After you have done all this you should have a pretty good stash of money saved up and most of the planning and practicalities sorted. Now it’s time to go and buy your ticket. Believe it or not, this is often the hardest step for people because they see that plane ticket as the point of no return. Up until now it has all still been just a plan, a dream. Actually handing over the money makes it real. Once you have it, your course is locked in. But don’t worry, once you do buy your ticket, then all you have to do is look forward to your trip and sorting out any last minute details and planning, there is no turning back now.

It really doesn’t matter if your planned departure date is six weeks or six months away, whatever time you have just means more time for saving, planning and enjoying the excitement and anticipation of going away.

And that is it. That really is all it takes to drag yourself out of your comfort zone and turn your dreams into reality! It doesn’t seem like much, does it? Well, that’s because it isn’t. Once you have broken it down into little manageable chunks, you realize the impossible has suddenly become possible, your dreams have actually come within reach, and you can grab them with both hands if you want to. All it takes is the will and the guts to do it!

So go and enjoy your travels, say goodbye to the mundane 9 to 5 existence, and say hello to sipping mango juice on a sun kissed island. Get on that plane and experience backpacking the world first hand and realize that you can live your dreams.